Dubbed "a splendidly cranky academic" by Molly Ivins, novelistand social critic CURTIS WHITE is a professor of English at IllinoisState University. His previous book, The Middle Mind: Why AmericansDon't Think for Themselves, was widely acclaimed. His otherbooks include Monstrous Possibility, Requiem, Memories of My FatherWatching TV, and The Idea of Home. His essays have appeared inmany publications, including Harper's Magazine and The VillageVoice. He lives in Normal, Illinois, with his wife Georganne Rundbladand their five psittacine companions.183